Kyiv imposes phone ban on Russian prisoners of war in response to mistreatment of Ukrainian POWs

The reason for this decision is the increasing number of cases of cruel treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russians.

There are currently four special camps for Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine, and the conditions there comply with the Geneva Conventions, according to the ombudsman.

"Unfortunately or fortunately, we cannot behave like the Russians," Lubinets said.

“I will say frankly, we are changing some things. For example, there were many discussions about the possibility of Russian prisoners of war making phone calls to their families in Russia.”

According to the Geneva Conventions, prisoners have the right to correspondence, not telephone calls.

"As of now, we have been informed that Russians retain the ability to write letters, but they no longer have the right to make telephone calls," said the commissioner.

Lubinets added that he passes the letters from Russians to the so-called human rights commissoner Tatyana Moskalkova. Additionally, he receives letters from Ukrainian prisoners in Russia.

A petition calling for the suspension of the right of Russian prisoners of war to make telephone calls, which began collecting signatures on March 22, gathered the necessary 25,000 votes on April 12.

According to the author of the petition, Inna Turova, relatives of Ukrainian defenders currently held in Russian prisons do not receive any information about their health or whereabouts and cannot hear their voices to confirm that they are alive. Meanwhile, Russian prisoners have contact with their families.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal rejected the idea of banning calls for Russian prisoners of war on April 30.

Shmyhal noted that telephone conversations of prisoners of war with their families "perform an important informational function, providing objective information to Russians that they do not need to be afraid to surrender, as Ukraine adheres to all provisions of the Convention and ensures proper conditions for the detainment of prisoners of war."